The Hudson Waterfront is an urban area of northeastern New Jersey along the lower reaches of the Hudson River, the Upper New York Bay and the Kill van Kull. Though the term can specifically mean the shoreline, it is often used to mean the contiguous urban area between the Bayonne Bridge and the George Washington Bridge that is approximately long. Historically, the region has been known as Bergen Neck, the lower peninsula, and Bergen Hill, lower Hudson Palisades. It has sometimes been called the Gold Coast.
The municipalities comprising the Hudson Waterfront are Bayonne, Jersey City, Hoboken, Union City, Weehawken, West New York, Guttenberg and North Bergen in Hudson County and Fairview, Cliffside Park, Edgewater and Fort Lee in Bergen County. To the east lies the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn, to the south Staten Island, to the west Newark Bay and the New Jersey Meadowlands and to the north Northern Valley and the Palisades Interstate Park. The Hudson River Waterfront Walkway, which includes sections of the East Coast Greenway, travels along the Hudson River. The Hackensack River Greenway runs along the western side of the peninsula.
During the Dutch colonial era, the area was under the jurisdiction of New Amsterdam and known as Bergen. Jersey City and Hoboken, in Hudson County, are sometimes referred to as the sixth borough of New York City, given their proximity and connections by PATH trains to the city.Holusha, John. "Commercial Property / The Jersey Riverfront; On the Hudson's West Bank, Optimistic Developers", The New York Times, October 11, 1998. Accessed May 25, 2007. "'That simply is out of the question in midtown,' he said, adding that some formerly fringe areas in Midtown South that had previously been available were filled up as well. Given that the buildings on the New Jersey waterfront are new and equipped with the latest technology and just a few stops on the PATH trains from Manhattan, they become an attractive alternative. 'It's the sixth borough', he said." Fort Lee, in Bergen County, opposite Upper Manhattan and connected by the George Washington Bridge, has also been called New York City's sixth borough.Lefkowitz, Melanie. "Bergen County's Fort Lee: Town With a View". The Wall Street Journal. April 30, 2011. Accessed September 16, 2012.
Population
With a combined population of approximately 733,875 (based on 2020 estimates), the Hudson Waterfront, if incorporated into a single city, would be the nineteenth most populous in the country while having one of the smallest land areas, at just . Its communities have some of the highest residential densities in the United States. Of municipalities in the United States over 50,000 people, Union City is the most densely populated.2000 Census: US Municipalities Over 50,000: Ranked by 2000 Density , accessed March 22, 2007 Guttenberg, although one of the smallest municipalities, stretching from 68th Street to 71st Street at , is the most densely populated "town" in the country.Most liquor licenses? Bumpiest town? Local municipalities hold unusual distinctions , Hudson Reporter, August 27, 2006 Many others are on the list of most densely populated places in the United States.
The region is very ethnically diverse. Jersey City is the "most diverse" city in the United States.Top 100 Most Racially Diverse Cities (pop. 5,000+) , accessed February 25, 2007 Five municipalities are on the list of the 100 cities (with a population over 5,000) with the highest percentages of foreign-born residents: West New York (65.2%), Union City (58.7%), Guttenberg (48.7%), Fairview (48.4%), and Fort Lee (44.7%). Palisades Park, a borough adjacent to Fort Lee, is also on the list, with 57.0%.Top 100 Cities with Highest Percentage of Foreign-Born Residents (pop. 5000+) , accessed February 25, 2007 North Hudson has the second-largest Cuban American population in the United States after Miami.Stolarik, Mark M. Forgotten Doors: The Other Ports of Entry to the United States. Bach Institute Press, 1988, Page 100. West New York, North Bergen, Union City, Guttenberg and Weehawken have Cuban American populations between 8.75% (Weehawken) and 19.64% (West New York). Cuban Communities in the United States Another large immigrant group is the Korean-American community near the GWB Plaza – it represents over half of the state's entire Korean population.Profile of General Demographic Characteristics for Bergen County, New Jersey: 2000. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on March 17, 2007.Profile of General Demographic Characteristics for New Jersey: 2000. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on March 17, 2007 Nearby Palisades Park boasts the highest percentage (36.38%) and total number (6,065) of Koreans among all municipalities in the state,Profile of General Demographic Characteristics for Palisades Park borough, New Jersey: 2000 , U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on March 17, 2007.Korean Ancestry by City . Retrieved on March 17, 2007. while Fort Lee has the second-highest total number (5,978) and third-highest percentage (17.18%);Profile of General Demographic Characteristics for Fort Lee borough, New Jersey: 2000 , U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on March 17, 2007. Edgewater also has a significant Korean population. The commercial districts of Palisades Park, Fort Lee, Cliffside Park, Edgewater, and Fairview collectively compose a Koreatown.Korean store chains move to Palisades Park, The Record (Bergen County), March 4, 2007 Many in this community attend religious services at St. Michael's in Union City. India Square in the Journal Square district is home to many from the country from which it takes its name. City Attracts People From Around the Globe , accessed July 26, 2006 A large Filipino community is located nearby at Five Corners. The first Coptic Orthodox Church in the United States, St. Mark, is one of the many congregations in Jersey City and Bayonne serving the growing Egyptian community.
In many communities in the Hudson Waterfront, English is not the first language spoken at home.
Transportation Rail service includes New Jersey Transit's Hoboken Division: Main Line to Suffern (and in partnership with MTA/Metro-North, express service to Port Jervis), Bergen County Line, and Pascack Valley Line, all via Secaucus Junction (where transfer is possible to Northeast Corridor Line); Montclair-Boonton Line and Morris and Essex Lines (both via Newark Broad Street Station); North Jersey Coast Line (limited service as Waterfront Connection via Newark Penn Station to Long Branch and Bay Head); Raritan Valley Line (limited service via Newark Penn Station). All of these services stop at Hoboken Terminal.
The Hudson-Bergen Light Rail: serves Bayonne, Liberty State Park, Jersey City's West Side, Downtown Jersey City, Hoboken Terminal, along the foot of the Palisades in Hoboken and Weehawken waterfront, Bergenline and Tonnelle Avenues. The PATH provides 24-hour subway service from Hoboken Terminal (HOB) and Downtown Jersey City and Journal Square (JSQ) to Midtown Manhattan (33rd), the World Trade Center (WTC), and Newark Penn Station (NWK).
NY Waterway provides ferry service, from Jersey City, Hoboken and Weehawken Port Imperial and Edgewater Landing to Battery Park City Ferry Terminal and Wall Street in lower Manhattan, and to West Midtown Ferry Terminal, where free transfer is available to a variety of "loop" buses. Cape Liberty Cruise Port, opened in 2004, restored passenger ships service to the waterfront.
New Jersey Transit as well as private companies provide bus service. Journal Square, Exchange Place, Hoboken Terminal, and Bergenline (HBLR) Station are major origination, destination and transfer points. Manhattan-bound bus service to the Port Authority Bus Terminal and George Washington Bridge Bus Station Local (and some suburban) service is identified by single or double digits: 1, 2, 22, 23, 64, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87 and 88. Manhattan (with local stops) and some suburban service is identified by triple digits: 120, 121, 123, 125, 154, 156, 158, 159, 163, 165, 166, 168, 181 and 188.
Vehicle crossings and highways are the Bayonne Bridge to Staten Island; the Holland Tunnel into Lower Manhattan, Interstate 78, U.S. Route 1/9; the Lincoln Tunnel to Midtown Manhattan, NJ 495, Route 3, and the George Washington Bridge to Upper Manhattan, Palisades Interstate Parkway, U.S. Route 46, Interstate 95, Interstate 80
Newark Liberty Airport (EWR) is the closest international airport in New Jersey with scheduled passenger service. LaGuardia Airport (LGA) is in Flushing, Queens and John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) is on Jamaica Bay in Queens. Teterboro Airport, in the Hackensack Meadowlands, serves private and corporate planes.
History
Before the 17th century, the region was populated by the Hackensack and Tappan, phratries of the Lenni-Lenape, an Algonquian people, who maintained semi-permanent and seasonal campsitesRuttenber, E.M., Indian Tribes of Hudson's River, (Hope Farm Press, 3rd ed, 2001) throughout the diverse landscape. They are recalled throughout the region in countless places names. In 1609, Henry Hudson captained a sailing expedition for the Dutch West India Company which led to the establishment of the Dutch provincial colony of New Netherland, with its capital at New Amsterdam. During that exploration, he laid anchor in the Upper New York Bay and Weehawken Coves. In 1630, land along the west bank of the river which bears his name was acquired and called Pavonia. Clusters of settlements were located at Communipaw, Harsimus, and Paulus Hook, and later at Hoboken, Pamrapo, Kewan/ Minkakwa, and Vriessendael. Some of the communities were compromised in conflicts with the indigenous population known as Kieft's War and the Peach War. Director-General of New Netherland Peter Stuyvesant granted a charter in 1660 for a village at Bergen Square, considered the first autonomous municipality in New Jersey.